


Amplified Friendship

by slery



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28602744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slery/pseuds/slery
Summary: What if Derek didn’t listen to Hotch and stopped working the case to be with Reid?
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on Fanfiction.com and reflects my writing at the time of its original posting.

Spoilers: Amplification  
Disclaimer: Don’t own, if I did, would I be playing here?   
Note: The first few lines are taken directly from the episode.

***

"Derek, Dr. Kimura called. Reid's in trouble." Garcia said.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked.

"He got way sicker on the way to the hospital he's in respiratory distress." Garcia continued to talk over Hotch.

"Listen, he's with the people that can help him the most. I need everybody's head here now." Hotch ordered.

“No.” Derek stated.

“What do you mean no?”

“You have the army at your disposal. I’m not leaving Reid to deal with this on his own.”

“Derek—“ Hotch started.

“No, Hotch. If I have to quit, I will.” He started pulling out his credentials and reached for his gun.

“That’s not necessary. Keep us informed.”

Derek nodded his head and walked out, his walk almost turning into a run to get to the SUV.

***

At Walter Reed, Derek followed the signs to ICU and nearly ran over Dr. Kimura when he exited the elevator.

“Agent Morgan, I’m glad you’re here.” She said.

“Where is he? How is he?”

“I’ll take you to his room. It’ll be good for him to have someone here.”

“Why?” Derek grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

“The aphasia started on the way here. He is really upset by it and it’s causing him to have even more trouble breathing. He’s been refusing narcotics the whole time, but I would really like to contact his next of kin to get permission so that he can be made more comfortable.”

“Reid doesn’t want narcotics. Agent Hotchner has his medical power-of-attorney but I know he will agree with Reid’s wishes.

“Fine, but he needs someone to stay with him then.”

“I’ll be here until he’s released. Now, where is he?”

Dr. Kimura sighed and then led him to Reid’s room where Derek stopped and stared at his friend through the large observation window. Spencer looked awful. He was almost as white as the sheets except for the blood that caked his chin where he kept coughing it up. He looked totally exhausted and . . . scared. Derek hesitantly stepped into the room.

“Hey there, kid.”

“Grass look no.” Spencer gritted through his teeth and then started coughing violently.

Derek rushed forward and helped Spencer sit up straighter hoping to ease the coughing.

Reid pressed an already bloodied wash cloth to his face as he continued to cough up more blood. He pulled his knees up and laid forward into them.

“Let me get you a clean rag and one to clean you up with.” Derek opened the drawers next to the bed until he found several wash cloths and a couple of hand towels. He stepped over to the sink mounted on the wall and wet one. When he returned to the bed, Spencer was resting his forehead on his knees with his arms tucked in.

“Reid, let me take that rag. I’ve got a clean one here.” He gently pulled the younger man’s arm out and pried the dirty rag free. Derek then wiped down the long fingers before placing the clean rag in his hand. “Can you sit up a minute?”

Reid didn’t respond, so Morgan pushed the bony shoulders back onto the bed and tucked the long stringy hair behind his friend’s ears. “Let me clean you up.” He carefully scrubbed the fresh and dried blood off Reid’s chin and grabbed a tissue from the side table to blot at the tears streaming down the cheeks.

“It’s gonna be okay.”

“Take snow how.”

“Shh, don’t try to talk. Let me do that for now.” Derek soothed. He wrapped Spencer’s hand in his and held on as more coughing wracked the slender body.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am taking some dramatic license with the medical info by not having Morgan wearing a gown or gloves to protect against the contaminate. As I recall, at the hospital when Reid was interviewing the girl they did not wear protective gear either but they weren’t touching her. This is fiction so please suspend a little disbelief.

***

Two hours later Derek tossed another bloody rag into a dirty linen bag the nurse had provided him and walked back to the bed to finish washing down Spencer’s face and arms. He fixed the nasal cannula for about the twentieth time because Reid kept trying to tuck his hair under it behind his ears. The blood pressure cuff on the right arm inflated and Spencer scrunched up his face in pain. Derek rubbed up and down the left arm, “It’ll be over in a minute. Just hang in there.”

Just after the cuff had finished deflating, Spencer started choking and coughing and Derek slid his arms around the young agent’s back and lifted him to lean against his shoulder. Before either could react, he coughed blood all over Derek’s shirt.

“Can shoot blue. Can page shoe.” Reid struggled to make himself understood.

“It’s okay, kid. It’s no big deal. It’s just a shirt. Come on, you need to calm down.”

“My look gram.” He weakly tried to grip Derek’s arm.

“Easy, let’s lay you back for a minute so I can take this off.” Derek stripped off his shirt and pulled Spencer back up to lean against his shoulder. He began a gentle back and forth rocking motion and rubbed large circles over Spencer’s shivering back.

Derek turned to see Nurse Brenda walk in carrying a blue scrub shirt, “Thought you might like to put this on.”

“Thanks. We had a little accident. He’s really starting to wheeze. Is there anything you can give him?”

“I’ll give it fifteen minutes and if he has stopped coughing up blood, he can be put on an oxygen mask instead. It should give him more oxygen and help with the wheezing until we know if he is responding to the antidote. He may need some breathing treatments to get him over this.” She made a note in the chart and hung it back on the end of the bed.

Derek slipped on the shirt while he watched her add the note to the computer outside of Reid’s room. He then poured a little more water in the cup sitting on the table and placed a new straw in it. He placed the straw to Reid’s lips but the younger man just turned his head away.

“Come on, Pretty Boy. You need to drink some. I promise it will help.” 

After a couple of sips, Spencer let the straw go and tried to push himself up in the bed but he was too weak and literally flopped back on the bed when his arms gave out. The wheezing intensified but didn’t bring on a round of coughing. “Here, let me help you.” Derek placed his hands under Spencer’s armpits and slowly pulled him up in the bed. While his hands were there, he smoothed out the hospital gown so his friend wouldn’t be laying on wrinkles. Then he got off the bed and started straightening the blankets out. “Why don’t you try to rest? You can barely keep your eyes open.”

He saw the panicked look in the younger man’s eyes. “Hey now, Reid, I’m not going anywhere.” Derek brushed the hair out of the kid’s eyes and tried to tuck it behind Reid’s ears. Then he noticed how blood shot his eyes were. “Did anyone take your contacts out?”

“Noon cow.”

“Shit, let me get someone.”

Just then Dr. Kimura entered. “Good news, your last blood work showed that the antidote is starting to work.”

“Did anyone take out his contacts?”

“Yes, we had him take them out when we washed him down.”

Derek hesitated, “Then why are his eyes so blood shot?”

The doctor pulled out a pen light and began flashing it across Reid’s eyes. He flinched and tried turning his head away. “I’m sorry Dr. Reid but I have to see what is going on.” She quickly finished and slipped the light back in her pocket. “I’ll have some drops sent up to help flush out your eyes there may have been some contamination or they could just be irritated by the washing down you received. You should see some improvement in your other symptoms in the next hour.” 

The older man wet a wash cloth and then folded it lengthwise before placing it over Spencer’s eyes. He then took hold of the kid’s hand and squeezed reassuringly.

***

“Hi, I’m Dr. Nessen.” She shook Derek’s hand and patted Spencer’s leg. “Dr. Kimura is off for the next six hours and wanted me to check on you.” The dark skinned doctor listened to his chest and then asked him to sit forward.

Derek sat down on the side of the bed and pulled Spencer forward to lean against his chest. “He’s too weak to even lift his head but the coughing has almost stopped.”

She listened intently for several minutes. “I’m going to order some chest x-rays and see how things are progressing.”

“Is something wrong?”

“He’s wheezing pretty bad and pretty deep in the lung tissue. I’m going to put him back on an oxygen mask and up the concentration. Someone will be up shortly to take him to radiology.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Derek asked.

“I just want to get a better look at things before I make any conclusions.” She quickly walked out of the room.

Derek didn’t like the way the doctor avoided his question and he didn’t like the way it seemed to take every ounce of energy Spencer had to simply take one breath after the other.


	3. Chapter 3

***

Forty-five minutes later, Dr. Nessen returned.

“Dr. Reid, Agent Morgan. The x-rays were not conclusive but the spirometry we also did shows that there may be lasting damage from the anthrax.”

Reid looked from the doctor to Derek. “What kind of damage?” Derek asked for him.

“Well, we are going to start some breathing treatments while you are still in the hospital but they are going to have to be continued for at least a week after you are released. You’re not getting enough oxygen on your own so you’ll need to stay on the oxygen until things improve. Dr. Kimura will need to refer you to a respiratory specialist for further treatment and to assess how much you will improve.” She made a couple of adjustments to the oxygen flow. “Dr. Kimura will be by later if you have any questions.”

Derek grabbed a tissue and eased the oxygen mask away from Spencer’s face so he could wipe the tears that were starting to fall. After replacing the mask he carefully adjusted Spencer’s hair so that it wasn’t pulled by the band from the mask. “Let’s not get too upset yet. I’m sure Dr. Kimura will be able to explain things better.” He carefully pulled Spencer back into his arms and gently rubbed his back. Spencer rested his head on Derek’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He was soon asleep again. Derek continued his ministrations hoping that his friend would rest easier sitting up.

***

Morgan heard a noise behind them and turned his head slightly to get a better look at the door. Hotch stood there looking less than neatly polished.

“How is he?”

“Not good, Hotch. Not good at all.” Morgan spoke softly trying not to wake his friend.

Hotch walked around the bed and sat in the chair so that he was facing Morgan. “What’s wrong?”

“They think there is permanent damage to his lungs. They’re going to start breathing treatments soon but the fill-in doctor was vague about the prognosis and said that Dr. Kimura would answer our questions.”

Reid struggled to raise his head and Morgan gently turned it for him so that he was facing Hotch. “Hotch, run coat.”

“Hotch, dream carpet.” Reid tried to struggle away from Morgan but he was too weak.

“Its okay, Reid. You’re getting better. You got out Hotch’s name.”

Hotch frowned from his chair, “The aphasia is still bad.”

“No, it isn’t. He gets out some of the words he means.” Derek glared at his boss.

“What happened to your shirt?” Hotch changed the subject.

“We had a little accident.” Morgan watched Reid close his eyes again. “Hey, kid. I already told you it was no big deal. A shirt can be replaced, you can’t.”

Morgan saw Hotch’s strange look. “Hey, boss man! I know how to be caring. Remember, I was raised by three sisters.”

“Morgan,” Reid called softly.

“Hey, you awake again?”

“Morgan!” Reid put added emphasis on the name.

“What is it?”

“Need . . . ,” Reid clenched his teeth tightly behind the oxygen mask.

It took Morgan awhile but he eventually figured out the problem. “Oh, Pretty Boy. Let me see if I can get some things and I’ll give you a nice warm bath.”

“What’s wrong?” Hotch asked.

“Can you ask the nurse for a clean gown and sheets while I draw a bath?” Derek tried to be subtle about the problem.

Hotch finally caught on, “Oh, yeah sure. Is there anything else you need?”

“See if you can get some shampoo and conditioner in case he’s up to getting his hair washed.” Derek came back out of the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels from the bottom drawer. He noticed Spencer was crying again. “It’s no big deal, Reid. You’re not exactly with it at the moment.” He smiled a mischievous grin, “Besides, I have to take advantage of limited brain power while I can get the upper hand.” He reached over and ruffled the dirty brown strands before going back into the bathroom.

Hotch came back into the room, “I’ve got everything you need.”

“Reid, I’m going to go for the night. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

Reid nodded his head and then closed his eyes.

“Morgan, I’ll change the bed before I leave so it’s ready when you get done.” He quietly told his agent.

“Thanks, Hotch.” Morgan walked over to the bed and carefully removed the oxygen mask, unwrapped the blood pressure cuff, and pulled the IV pole forward so that it was easy to get. Then he pulled the covers back and picked Reid up. Morgan grabbed the IV pole with the fingers of the hand that was behind Reid’s back and went into the bathroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay. There was a problem with my email client and I have had to switch to a new program and my reminders to post chapters disappeared and took me a while to find it.

***

After a long night, Derek had finally left the room to freshen up and head down to the cafeteria for some breakfast. He felt a little guilty for escaping since he didn’t really mind taking care of his friend. But the guilt hung on so he made a quick return to find his young cohort awake. “You’re awake already? I’ve only been gone for twenty minutes.”

“Morgan, can you help me to the bathroom? I don’t want to use that ‘thing’ again.” Spencer asked quietly while reaching up to take off his oxygen mask.

“Sure kid. But you should leave that on.” 

“No.”

Morgan put down his soda and moved the table out of the way. “Just take it nice and slow, okay?”

Reid nodded his head and they waited a couple of minutes once he was up right before shuffling over to the door. “Can you stand by yourself?”

“I think so.”

“Let’s leave the door open and I’ll just turn my back in case I need to make a quick grab for you.” Derek got him positioned in front of the toilet before letting go of the back of the gown and stepping back just out of the small room.

“Uhm . . . Morgan.”

“Jeeze, let me turn the water on. I know you’re shy but I’m not about to take the chance of you doing a header.”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Just try not to be too long.” Derek started humming in an attempt to give Spencer the privacy he needed. Once he heard the toilet flush, he turned around to find a panting Spencer. “Okay, we’ll make the hand wash quick so you can get back into bed.”

Two steps away from the bed, Spencer clutched the arms around him, “I can’t breath.” He wheezed.

Derek grabbed for the nurses button and then lifted Spencer up to sit on the edge of the bed.

“May I help you?” The tinny sound erupted from the speaker on the bed.

“He’s having trouble breathing.” Derek anxiously responded.

“Be right there.” A minute later the aging nurse rushed into the room. “What happened?”

“I helped him to the bathroom and on the way back he started having trouble breathing.” He watched her clip the pulse ox back onto Reid’s finger on the hand that wasn’t clutching his arm.

“Your due for another breathing treatment in twenty minutes but I’m going to go ahead and give it to you and see if that helps.”

She was only gone a moment before returning with the apparatus and plugged it into the wall behind the bed. Derek took it and helped Spencer hold it while he tried to breathe in the medication.

“Deep breaths,” she instructed. “Is that helping?”

Reid nodded his head and leaned into Derek’s body since he was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Let’s move you to the chair so it’s easier to finish.” He carefully scooped Spencer up and placed him in the dark green recliner that had been brought in. Derek then grabbed one of the blankets and laid it over his friend’s legs and tucked it under the long bony feet.

When he noticed Spencer’s eyes drooping, he pulled over the other chair and then helped his friend hold the device. “Nice deep breaths . . . that’s it, you don’t have too much more to go.”

Five minutes later, Derek took the machine from Spencer’s slack fingers. He straightened the sheets on the bed and pulled the blankets back. Then he gently placed his friend back in the bed, replaced the oxygen mask, and made sure the long, lanky frame was covered from toe to chin.

He settled in the chair with his soda in easy reach and began to read the magazine he had picked up when he went down for breakfast.

***

Derek heard a noise and slowly blinked open his eyes. “Hey, Hotch.”

“Hey yourself. Are you getting enough sleep?”

Morgan scooted up in the chair to make himself sit a little straighter, “I’m fine. I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

“Any news yet?”

Derek sighed, “No, but Dr. Kimura should be in before too much longer.”

“How’s he holding up?” The older agent took a seat in the chair on the other side of the bed.

“Not so good. He made a trip to the bathroom this morning and then he couldn’t breathe. Luckily, it was almost time for his next breathing treatment and that seemed to help. But he doesn’t seem to be gaining much strength. His body isn’t taking in the amount of oxygen he needs. I don’t know if he’s going to get better.” 

Hotch walked over to Derek and squeezed his shoulder, “Let’s not jump to conclusions until we hear from the doctor. Is there anything I can get you?”

“Yeah,” he fished his keys out of his pocket. “My “Go” bag is in the SUV. Can you get it for me so I can change clothes?”

“I can but why don’t I stay with him and you run home to shower and change?”

“I don’t know, Hotch.”

“I do. It’s obvious he’s going to need help for a while no matter what the prognosis is. You need to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to help him.” The older agent softened his usual stern expression. “The others want to come see him. Do you think he is up to it?”

“Not right now. We should probably wait for Dr. Kimura and see how that turns out first. You know Reid doesn’t like the attention placed on him and honestly, he hates having to have me help him with everything.”

Derek stood up and grabbed his drink from the floor. “I’m going to go now so that I will be back in time to see the doctor.” He double checked Spencer’s oxygen level and then made sure the mask wasn’t pulling any hair before he quickly left.

***

Hotch pulled out his phone and quickly punched in a number.

“Speak to me, your Queen of Knowledge waits to enlighten you.”

“Garcia, I’m at the hospital with Reid.”

“How is he?” She interrupted.

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose, “He’s not so hot right now so do you think you can pass along the news that he is not up to visitors.”

“JJ’s going to be so disappointed. We were going to pick up balloons and bring a couple of things to brighten up his room.”

Hotch sighed, “No, it’s not really a good idea. I’ll call when I know more.” He quickly hung up before she could grill him for any more information.

“Hotch?” Reid barely made enough sound to be heard through the mask covering his face and the hiss of the precious oxygen it was delivering to him.

“Hey there, Reid.” He got up and approached the bed to make it easier for Spencer to see him.

“Morgan?” Reid raised his hand as if reaching for something.

Hotch took the hand in his and gently brought it back to the bed. “He went home for a little while. Do you need something?”

“No,” Spencer turned his head to the other wall and tried to pull his hand out of Hotch’s grasp.

“Reid, look at me please.” He wouldn’t let the other man pull his hand free. “Morgan didn’t leave you. I sent him home to take a shower and clean up.”

“I know.” The younger man closed his eyes. “I’m really tired. You don’t have to stay.”

“Yes, I do. Firstly, Morgan would kill me if I left you alone. And secondly, I do care about you so I’m not about to let you stay here alone when you don’t have to. Would you like to see the rest of the team?”

“No, I really am tired.”

“Okay, you rest all you need. I’m going to be right here and I can do anything Morgan does for you.” He paused for a moment and squeezed the fingers in his hand. “I mean that. Even if you aren’t comfortable with me, don’t wait for Morgan to get back.” He added a small smile, “And don’t forget that I can easily turn you over my knee if I have to. You hardly weigh more than Jack and right now you have no strength to fight back.”

Spencer finally did let a small smile show through, “Hotch, I couldn’t take you on my best day.”

“Okay, just get some rest then.”

***


End file.
